How Do You Teach Your Children About the Real Story of Easter?

 Families, communities, states, and nations are stronger when the rising generation knows the true story of Easter. The reason that we celebrate Easter is because it commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just as children should be taught that Baby Jesus is the star of Christmas and not Santa Claus, they should also be taught that the resurrected Christ is the star of Easter and not the Easter bunny.

The question asked by many parents: How do I teach the real Easter story? I simply asked the question of the Internet and found several sources.

In an article titled “Teaching About the TRUE Meaning of Easter for Children,” Heather Greutman began as follows and then gave several links for ideas: 

First off, I want to start by saying that I am not condemning the Easter bunny or doing Easter egg hunts or anything else related to Easter. Our daughter will be doing an Easter egg hunt this year and she also usually receives an Easter basket from family. When she gets older we may even dye Easter eggs. However, I don’t want those things to be our only or main focus around Easter. Easter is a time to celebrate a Risen Savior who loved us all so much that He came to die for our sins.

When my children were at home, I treated Easter much like I did Christmas – I separated the sacred from the secular. For Christmas, we do all things spiritual on Christmas Eve. We have our main Christmas dinner followed by a presentation of the Nativity in some form. We have a dessert made of “Angel” food cake and sink Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. We reserved Christmas Day for opening presents, playing with toys, and other such fun activities. All my children continued this tradition with their families.

For Easter, we reversed the procedure. We colored Easter eggs sometime during the week or on Saturday. The Easter bunny came Friday night, and the children searched for their Easter baskets on Saturday morning. We had Easter egg hunts on Saturday as well as any other secular activities. Sunday was reserved for the real meaning of Easter. This meant that the children could attend Sunday School without being high on sugar or bringing an Easter stuffed animal with them. Every Sabbath Day is special, and Easter is extra special in honoring Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Families can have the fun of the secular as well as learn the sacredness of Easter, but I believe that they must be done separately. Have the fun of the Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts, but have them on a separate day than Sunday. Keep Easter holy by teaching the real story of Easter. By keeping Easter holy, parents can strengthen their family, and their stronger family will strengthen their community, state, and nation.